Cantwell Celebrates New Imaging Technology at Clarkston TriState Health

06.26.24

Cantwell Celebrates New Imaging Technology at Clarkston TriState Health

Cantwell helped secure federal funds for TriState's purchase of two much-needed CT scanners and an MRI machine

CLARKSTON, WA - Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) joined local leaders at TriState Health to take a tour of the hospital and the new equipment purchased as part of the TriState Health Imaging Project, which helps the hospital deliver medical imaging services to patients in Clarkston and Lewiston.

"For our agricultural economy to work, we have to have communities with infrastructure to support that. That means schools, that means hospitals, that means the type of delivery system that means they don't have to travel miles and miles away just to get the care," said Sen. Cantwell after the tour. "When you think about some of the things that technology has allowed us to do, particularly on diagnostics that can help save lives by catching something like breast cancer earlier, supporting these communities with the kind of imaging is really, really important."

Sen. Cantwell helped secure $2.5 million for the project as a Congressionally Directed Spending request for Fiscal Year 2023. The funding aided in the hospital's purchase of two new CT scanners and an MRI machine as a part of a broader $39 million expansion of the hospital.

CT scans are used to diagnose the cause of strokes, the extent of other soft tissue damage found in serious head injuries, some types of tumors, and abnormal blood vessels. Before this project, TriState had one CT scanner that was over 15 years old and rapidly approaching its end of functional use, and an average of five patients were turned away per week due to limited availability of the single CT scanner.

MRI machines are used to help diagnose problems with tumors, liver disease, pancreas abnormalities, inflammatory bowel disease, and heart problems associated with congenital heart disease. The MRI in use at TriState before this project was purchased in 2006 and also nearing its end of life.

On the tour, Sen. Cantwell was joined by TriState Chief Financial OfficerJim Heilsberg, TriState Chief Nursing Officer Jackie Mossakowski, TriState Chief of Clinic Operations Joleen Carper, TriState Board Members Don McQuary and Rick Wasem, TriState Director of Marketing and Communications Rebecca Mann, TriState Grants Coordinator Sarah Reaves, and Executive Director of Interlink Mark Havens.

Photos from today's tour are available HERE.

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